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Stephen A. Douglas was an American politician and lawyer best known for his role as a Democratic senator from Illinois in the mid-19th century. He gained prominence for his debates with Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois Senate race, focusing on issues of slavery and popular sovereignty. Douglas was a key figure in the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, which allowed territories to decide on the legality of slavery, thus exacerbating sectional tensions leading up to the Civil War. His advocacy for popular sovereignty and compromise made him a significant, yet controversial, figure in American history.

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2mo ago

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